For most people in Alaska, spotting a single lynx is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
For Tim Newton, it became something even rarer — a full-on playdate with an entire lynx family on his porch.
It all started one quiet September morning when Tim woke up to scratching sounds outside his home near Anchorage. Curious, he opened his blinds and froze.
There, just beyond the glass, were eight wild lynx — a mother and her seven energetic kittens, tumbling, chasing, and wrestling across his deck like furry gymnasts.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Sight
Lynx are famously elusive creatures. Even seasoned Alaskans rarely see them in the wild. So the sight of a mother lynx with her seven babies — right outside his home — was nothing short of extraordinary.
“They were playing and frolicking across the deck,” Tim recalled. “It was chaos, but beautiful chaos.”
The visit lasted only a few minutes before the family disappeared back into the trees. Tim figured that would be the last time he’d see them. Wildlife encounters like this don’t repeat themselves.
But nature had other plans.
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A Familiar Sound in the Snow
Two months later, on a snowy November morning, Tim’s wife Cathy Newton woke to that same sound — soft thuds, claws on wood, faint mewls in the cold.
She peeked through the window, and her heart stopped.
The lynx family had returned.
“Mama lynx came back with her seven kittens,” Cathy said. “They were flying across the deck just like last time — climbing, pouncing, rolling in the snow. I couldn’t believe it.”
Cathy grabbed her camera and started recording as the wild family played just feet away from her window.
“It was fascinating to see Mama playing as much as they were,” she said. “Five kittens were on the deck wrestling with her, and two were down in the yard roughhousing.”
Playful Prints in the Snow
The family stayed for several minutes, turning the deck into a snowy playground.
By the time they left, the entire porch was covered in tiny paw prints — a soft, fleeting signature of their visit.
Cathy’s videos captured not just a rare wildlife moment, but something deeply touching: a wild mother who still found time to play, even as she raised seven rambunctious kittens.
“It was pure joy,” she said. “You could see how healthy and strong they looked. Mama lynx seemed so full of life.”
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The Secret Life of Lynx Families
Lynx are solitary by nature. Males live and hunt alone, while females raise their kittens without help.
A litter of seven is considered unusually large — most lynx mothers have only two to four kittens at a time.
For the Newtons to witness this many thriving young lynx together means one thing: Mama Lynx was doing something right.
Experts say lynx populations rise and fall with the snowshoe hare cycle — their main prey. In good years, when hares are plentiful, lynx raise larger litters and stay closer to human areas where food is easy to find.
That might explain why this curious family chose to visit the Newtons — twice.
A Glimpse Into the Wild
Both Tim and Cathy say they’ve always loved Alaska’s wildlife, but these encounters changed how they see it.
“You can live here for decades and never experience something like that,” Cathy said. “They weren’t scared. They were just living — wild and free, right in front of us.”
The videos she posted online quickly went viral, showing the lynx family bounding through snow and playfully swatting at each other. Millions watched in awe, mesmerized by how close — and how gentle — nature can sometimes be.
The Magic of a Second Visit
Seeing the lynx family return months later gave the Newtons a sense of connection — like nature itself had decided to check back in.
“It felt like they trusted us,” Cathy said. “They weren’t afraid to come near again. That’s what amazed me most.”
Even though the lynx soon disappeared back into the woods, the Newtons still look for paw prints after every fresh snowfall.
“You never know,” Cathy said with a smile. “They might come back again.”
Why Stories Like This Matter
In a world that often feels loud and fast, moments like this remind us what’s still out there — the quiet beauty of wild animals living on their own terms.
It’s easy to forget that Alaska still holds these small miracles — glimpses of nature that ask for nothing except our respect.
For Tim and Cathy Newton, those mornings on their deck weren’t just wildlife sightings. They were reminders of coexistence — proof that even in the coldest corners of the wild, curiosity and trust can cross the line between two worlds.
